Beauty and the Beast (2017) Review

Beauty and the Beast

Release Date: 23rd March 2017 - Australia

Production Companies

Walt Disney Pictures
Mandeville Films

Distribution

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Australia

Genre: Family/Musical/

Fantasy

Rating: PG

Runtime: 129 minutes


Budget: $255,000,000

Box Office Gross: $1,264,064,386 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
Belle is a girl who yearns to live outside her small provincial French town. While often dealing with the unwanted affections of the vain Gaston. The Beast is a prince cursed by a spell placed by the Enchantress until he learns to love another and earn their love in return.

When Belle's father, Maurice, trespasses into the Beast's castle after taking a wrong turn, Belle offers to take her

place instead as his prisoner.

Cast

Emma Watson - Belle

Dan Stevens - Beast

Luke Evans - Gaston

Kevin Kline - Maurice

Ewan McGregor - Lumière

Stanley Tucci - Maestro Cadenza
Emma Thompson - Mrs. Potts
Ian McKellen - Cogsworth

Gugu Mbatha-Raw - Plumette
Audra McDonald - Madame Garderobe
Nathan Mack - Chip

Josh Gad - LeFou

Hattie Morohan - Agathe/Enchantress

Adam Mitchell - Young Prince

Haydn Gwynne - Clothilde
Ray Fearon - Pere Robert

Gerard Horan - Jean the Potter

Adrian Schiller - Monsieur
D'arque

Harriet Jones - Queen

Henry Garrett - King

Zoe Rainey - Belle's Mother

Daisy Duczmal - Baby Belle

Jolyon Coy - Young Maurice
Jimmy Johnston - Tom
Dean Street - Dick
Gizmo - Froufrou
Clive Rower - Cuisinier
Thomas Madden - Chapeau
Alexis Loizon - Stanley

Crew

Director - Bill Condon

Based on the 1991 Animated Film "Beauty and the Beast" Animation Screenplay - Linda Woolverton

Based Upon the Original Tale - Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve (Uncredited)
Based Upon the Original Story Revision - Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont (Uncredited)
Screenplay - Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos
Executive Producers - Don Hahn and Thomas Schumacher

Executive Producer/Unit Production Manager - Jeffrey Silver
Producers - David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman

Co-Producer/Visual Effects Producer - Steve Gaub
Co-Producers - Jack Morrissey, Greg Yolen and Alexander Young

Co-Producer/Unit Production Manager - Jeremy Johns

Creative Consultants - Gary Trousdale
and Kirk Wise
Casting Director - Lucy Bevan
Production Designer - Sarah Greenwood

Supervising Art Director - Niall Moroney
Set Decorator - Katie Spencer
Costume Designer - Jacqueline Durran
Makeup & Hair Designer - Jenny Shircore

Beast Designers - Dave & Lou Elsey

Prosthetics HOD Mould Maker -

John Schoonraad

Director of Photography - Tobias A. Schliessler

Camera/Steadicam  Operator - Lorenzo Senatore

Camera Operator - Jonathan 'Chunky' Richmond

First Assistant Director - Barrie McCulloch

Key Second Assistant Director - Matthew Sharp
Second Unit Director - Thomas Napper

Choreographer - Anthony Van Laast

Stunt Coordinator - Adam Kirley
Special Effects Supervisor - Paul Corbould
Special Effects Co-Supervisor - Gareth Wingrove

Special Effects Coordinator - Benjamin Vokes

Visual Effects Supervisors - Kyle McCulloch

and Kelly Port

Visual Effects Supervisors: Framestore -

Glen Pratt and Richard R. Hoover

Senior Animation Supervisor: Digital Domain -

Steve Preeg

Animation Supervisors: Framestore -

Dale Newton and Spencer Cook

Character Effects Supervisor: Digital Domain -

Nathan Fok

Virtual Production Supervisor: The Third Floor -

Casey Schatz

Pre-Visualisation Supervisor: Digital Domain -

Scott Meadows

Songs: Music/Score - Alan Menken
Songs: Lyrics - Howard Ashman and Tim Rice
Editor - Virginia Katz

Supervising Sound Editor/Sound Designer -

Warren Shaw

Production Sound Mixer - John Casali

Re-Recording Sound Mixers - Michael &

Christian P. Minkler

Vocal/Music Producer/Supervisor -

Matthew Rush Sullivan

Songs Arranger and Conductor/

Additional Music - Michael Kosarin

Score Arranger/Additional Music/

Supervising Music Editor - Christopher Benstead

Review

In 2017, two anticipated movies are currently grossing at the box office as they are yet to finish screening in theatres. The first of these movies was the remake of Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Because it was hyped and follows the success of Disney's previous live-action iteration of The Jungle Book, this newly enchanted version is a much preferable film to the feature-length adaptation of Power Rangers. The new version is surprisingly faithful to the storyline of the animated incarnation made about 26 years ago during the Disney Renaissance. It's almost magical but doesn't quite have the enchantment of the original 1991 film. The music and singing in the new release do not match the original's well-known and loved compositions. The whimsicality also gets toned down for the remake, adding a few subplots and new songs to give the movie its newfound invigoration.

Emma Watson has done a great job moving away from her fame in Harry Potter as the beautiful bookworm Belle. She has a fine singing voice because the previous actress who voiced Belle in Disney's original version had trained her. Dan Stevens was wonderfully clever in his CGI form as the monstrous Beast. Luke Evans was good at being the vain and arrogant Gaston, even though his character is not like the one we see in the animated feature. Even Ewan McGregor, Josh Gad, Kevin Kline, Ian McKellen and Emma Thompson have their moments as the other characters. The costumes and props are amazing. The visuals are outstanding and seem more advanced than the 2D animation.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST's remake was darker and more complex than the original version, which was lighthearted and tame, like any Disney animation. It's not dull nor lazy, and fans may grow tired of Disney's trend of remaking their classics. Even the upcoming version of The Lion King isn't going to be any better. Overall, I did enjoy it while in theatres. It stands as a semi-decent and must-see film.

Star rating: (7/10) Good Movie

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